A young girl sat on the side of a fireplace, an old woman with withered hair sat on a rocking chair. A long time ago, people described her hair as like the golden manes of a mythical beast.

“Girl,” called the old, a tremor in her voice, slow, but calm, and filled horror. “You didn’t listen. Didn’t you?”

“I,” said the girl. “I am sorry.”

The old woman’s withered finger, old, wrinkled, pointed at the girl. “You are not a bad one, right, no, you are cheery…so that can’t be so.” she laughed as her voice then trailed. “Do want to know a story, do you? It’s a story about two of the four liars.”

“Old Gran?” said the girl, her voice faltering, swallowing, as she continued.

“Did you know,” she rocked her chair, matching her tone of voice with it, rickety, “There was a goddess who brought gods, demons, and spirits. She was a beautiful woman, a savior, beloved by the people, and she did things truly within perfection. Light blessed her and she had heroes who followed her every order. I was once of the knights she blessed. I saw it for myself, girl. Her radiance aura shining as sunshine broke through the stained glass. Her voice soothed and calmed even those who have a tyrant’s heart. She led armies and destroyed those who dwells in the dark. Purifying in the name of light.”

The young girl listened, her little fingers tapping the brickwork.

“What drove us to her callings were her majesty. We knew that as long as the Maiden exists, then the world will always be at peace. She was our goddess, lord, and yet even she could not stop the wars, the greed, and abuses of those who had evil in their hearts. On her side was a knight, not just any knight, but a man who rose from a guardsman to a knight that people adored. A stern and robust knight whose stern determination to complete his missions and help as he could showed through his actions. She was her knight and he was loyal. No darkness could temp him. He kept on moving despite it all, knowing, that as long as he was needed then she would allow him to be by her side. If our Maiden was a constant ally of peace, then he had helped her carry the burden of the world.”

Her eyes flickered. “I admired him. Many of the young knights of our orders admired him. No matter how old he get, his training, and his appearance grew only finer. A gentleman, and a warrior that none could argue, worthy to be by the side of Our Maiden.”

She paused, tired eyes on the dance of the flame.

“So it came to my surprise that the Stern Knight Lord we knew ended up being put into trial by Our Maiden. None questioned our Maiden as she berated him in front of the people. I was one of the many who had been allowed to be in the front. To do this I’ve never seen someone’s heart broke as he did. His old and rugged face showed despair at the words she spew at the day.”

“The people turned on him as easily as the words of the Our Maiden told to. It was then that I realized that there was a conflict that we weren’t allowed to know. A conflict that resulted into the death of this Knight. By noon, he was strung on the old plaza, killed by a rope coiled around his neck. Many of us admired the Knight, and yet those who had thought of him as a relic of the past laughed. My belief in the Lady was overturned, and my confidence her cracked….But then I understood what vengeful spirit had possessed the Knight.”

The young girl swallowed a lump in her throat.

“Wraiths, spirits, and those of demons had been festered on our Knight’s soul. His true colors, a betrayed soul, raging upon the people who he served, guided, and saved with selflessness, bellowing curses that shook the plaza and brought terror in the hearts of men and women. It was a birth of a Revenant we call Deadman. A vengeful spirits that had turned our dear Knight.  You’d expect that he would come at us who watched him get hanged. Yet he focused his anger, his hatred on the woman he loved. A burning desire that did not cease, leaving those who are wicked to fear his existence. Existing within the material and immaterial world. The Deadman knows no boundaries, and chases Our Maiden fir eternity, hoping that it would be able to catch up and plunge his obsidian sword of Zachariah into her stomach, releasing his soul from the curse that he spewed with his own mouth. He is forever damned as a fixed being that would constantly hunt down Our Maiden.”

She wiped her tears and shook her head slowly.

“I don’t know how it ended up like that. Yet, I wonder what would have happen if Our Maiden was not bound and chained by her duty to the people, and she was allowed to do as pleased. If she could have left the Knight alone who used the ruinous powers instead of heeding the orders of those who preserves the light. It pains me to say that the Deadman and the Burnt Woman would forever be stuck in a constant battle. The Deadman forever haunts the Burnt Woman, forevermore, until he could plunge his sword in her heart, allowing the former Knight to be free from the curse he cast with his own mouth and be reborn again, free of the taint, free of the curses, and free from the ruinous powers that held him to fight the Burnt Woman who would surely not stop until she herself could save those who could be saved. Our Maiden is bound by the curse of her duty, and she is bound to en eternity of service the moment she took that blessing. That is her curse, and a duty she has to follow.”

Though she had pictured them once as a perfect pair, a Knight and His Mistress, loyally devoted to her. Now, she believes that the Deadman, and the Burnt Woman will not have their happy ending. She does knew of four liars.

The first liar, the Pale Shine Lady, was a fool who could not stop rejecting, yet she had finally given to her desire.

The second liar was still sincerely maddened.

The third liar, the Bleak Walker, who is always out of time, had been able to stay long enough to convey.

The fourth liar was a tired and aged soul, who could not stop lying about the lie she calls duty.

“Gran?” the usually cheery girl asked, her eyes filled with sorrow as she listened to her Gran. “Will the Second and Fourth liar be okay?”

“I hope so,” said the Gran, unsure of her answer.  But she knew that the Second and Fourth liar would continue their lies. “Come on dear, you need to go to bed now.”

“Okay Grandma Machina,” said the cheery girl.